La Vuelta 2018 – Teams and riders

This team actually holds the record for the most participations at Spain's Grand Tour of cycling. Their 37th consecutive Vuelta will see some of the best names in their team compete. Valverde Alejandro obtained an incredible victory in 2015 at Vejer de la Frontera. Riders such as Jose Luis Laguia, Pedro Delgado, Abraham Olano, Pablo Lastras, Maria Jimenez are only some of the ones who contributed to the victory tally than comprises over 50 partial triumphs.

Their 6th Vuelta is close and that's great for a young team that was established in 2011. They fusioned with Radio Shack 5 years ago and one significant victory in La Vuelta is Chris Vuelta's 1st place in the general classification. The team also has a total of 6 stage victories to their name. In 2015, Van Poppel, Frank Schleck, and Jasper Stuyven won three different stages.

Tinkoff is a 2015 podium holder at Vuelta a Espana. Rafal Majka was 3rd in the general classification. Tinkoff was established in 1998 using a Danish license.

Their first victory at Vuelta took place in 2005 with Nicki Sorensen. Undoubtedly, huge victories are linked to the name of their leader - Alberto Contador - who won the 2012 and 2014 editions. Another prominent name is Carlos Sastre, who was on the podium in 2008, 2007, and 2005.

Chris Froome won the Tour de France in 2013 and 2015. He took podium in the Vuelta 2014 and even confessed his preference for the Spain Grand Tour. As part of Team Sky, he also took podium in 2010, with his teammate Bradley Wiggins. Among the names you need to remember when betting we can mention Chris Sutton, Chris Froome (in 2011), Kiryienka Vasil (2013), and Roche Nicolas (in 2015).

One of the most prominent names in the Netherlands since the mid 90s is now getting ready for its 19th participation of the Vuelta. Their only absence happened in 2002. Rabobank was the first sponsor of the team, but Belkin (in 2013) and LottoNL-Jumbo (in 2015) took over.

The team has won for the last time in 2007 through Denis Menchov. World Champon Freire Oscar won the stages that arrived in Logrono, Santiago, and Reinosa in the same year. Bart Jan Lindeman won at La Alpujarra last year.

Established in 2009, this team is heir to Tinkoff's first project. It debuted in the Vuelta in 2010 and showed an impressive fighting spirit ever since: impressive mountain climbs, fast sprinters and great tactics. Joaquim Rodriguez is their best climber. He was on the podium three times in the final classification of the Spain Grand Tour of cycling. Rodriguez was close to be a champion in 2010, 2012, and 2015. He has 9 stage triumphs. Dai Moreno (2013 and 2011) and Menchov denis (2012) are two other key cyclists.

Their best performance in 2015 was Tom Dumoulin's fight against Astana, when he could have become the first Dutchman to win the race. The squad debuted in 2011 and has a few partial victories in the Vuelta. Their win in Madrid last year brought their total number of victories to 10. Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb and Warren Barguil are prominent names in their team.

The only African team at this edition will be competing for its 3rd consecutive time. Formerly a Professional-Continental squad, Dimension Data took over MTN-Qhubeka. A notable name in their team is 24-year-old Louis Meintjes who obtained the 10th place in the 2015 Vuelta's final general classification. However, their best rider is Kristian Sbaragli, the sprint winner who dominated the stage at Castellon de la Plana.

This team put Australia on the map of pro cycling and has been competing in the World Tour since 2012. The team is managed by Gerry Ryan and Shayne Bannan and has 7 partial victories in just 4 years. Aussie Simon Clarke became King of the Mountain in 2012 and showed that he has what it takes to win. Michael Matthews is the second rider who won two stages. Caleb Ewan did a first great week last year for Orica, while Esteban Chaves finished 5th in the general classification, becoming a great revelation at the Vuelta 2015.

One of the longest-standing sponsors in the World Tour peloton is now up for a new edition of the Vuelta a Espana, the 14th one to be more exact. The Belgians debuted in 1998 under the name Lotto-Mobistar and only changed their name in 2005. Their history goes back to 1985 though, with current Marc Sergeant as a team member.

The Lotto-sponsored team had experts all the time, but their first victory arrived in 2008, when Van Avermaet won against Rebellin and Flecha. Their best edition is 2010, when Philippe Gilbert sealed his talent and was named World Champion. Adam Hansen is another prominent name in their team, the man who impressed everyone in the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2014.

A classic international name in the cycling world, they will compete in the Tour of Spain for the ninteenth time. Their debut took place in 1993 (!) and have never missed an edition this century. The flashy fuchsia and blue outfits will again be worn by the Italian cyclists of Lampre Merida.

The team has 18 partial victories, starting in 1993 with a win by Sergei Outshakov from Ukraine. Recent notable past performances include the unforgettable stage in Madrid when Ruben Plaza did an impressive work in 2015. Tiralongo has the best ever position of this team in the general classification (2009).

Their leader is Michel Thetaz and this year they will come to Spain for the 3rd time. La Vuelta 2017 will be the last three-week race for them, after they announced in May that IAM Cycling will definitely conclude its sponsorship. They have no victory in the Vuelta, but Reynes Vicente was really close in 2014. He has the best classification among his team mates in 2015. Pro tip for bettors: Aregger and Reynes are the only riders in this team to have ever completed each stage of La Vuelta.

This French team got into the pro peloton in 1997, their debut in La Vuelta happened in 2005. The riders only missed the 2011 event since then. Past performances include the most sought after triumphs by climbers three years ago in the 2013 La Vuelta: Kenny Elissonde (at Angliru) and Geniez Alexandre (at Peyragudes). Pinot Thibaut has the best classification in the Grand Spanish Tour, with the 7th place.

One of the regular teams present at Vuelta is coached by Patrick Lefevere. Past performances include 11 stage victories, and about 45% of them were obtained by world champion Bettini Paolo. Notable cylists in their team are Tony Martin (2014), Stybar Zdenek (2013), and Cataldo Dario (2012). Only two riders have made it to the top 10 in the general classification, and that happened almost 10 years ago.

Another team that was invited to participate in Spain's Grand Tour this year. The French team is coached by Jean Rene Bernardeau and is formely known as Bonjour, Brioches La Boulangere, Europcar, and now Direct Energie. The team has always been comprised of dedicated cylists such as world champion Laurent Brochard, Sylvian Chavanel, or Pierrick Fedrigo. In 2017, Direct Energie will compete in La Vuelta for the 9th time. Their debut took place in 2005, and their best general classification happened last year - Romain Sicard is responsible for that.

One of the oldest teams in the standings, Cofidis is a regular partipant in the Vuelta, having missed the Tour of Spain only in 2000. The French always come with powerful line-ups and fight for good positions in the general classification. They have a total of 14 partial victories, and 5 King of the Mountain triumphs, including 4 with spectacular cylist Moncoutié. Cofidis has an incredible history behind, with some of the most amazing finales of this sport, and Moncoutié was part of most of them. The victory tally was increased in 2014 by Dani Navarro.

Their team leader is Vaughters Jonathan and they only got accepted in the World Tour a few years ago. The team was sponsored by Garmin at the beginning, but Cannondale took over in 2015 when the Italian and US squads fusioned. Cannondale Team boasts a heterogeneous line-up, and their riders come from all over the world. This year's formula debuted in Vuelta 2009, obtaining exceptional results. However, Andrenw and Martin Talansky have the all-time best position of a Cannondale team member in the Tour of Spain, both with 7th place.

A seasoned team in La Vuelta's history, Caja Rural-Segures RGA competed in Spain for the first time in 2012. This year, they received one of the four invites and they want to achieve the same goal from last year - if not better. Antonio Piedra managed a spectacular debut campain in Tour of Spain at Lagos de Covadonga. Notable past performances include King of the Mountain victories in 2014 and 2015. David Arroyo finished in twelfth place last year at Vuelta.

Founded in 2010, this yeam grew slowly as well, but got the support of team Endura and its current name was found in 2014. Raplh Denk is the star of Germany's team and they have already competed in 3 Grand Tour, debuting in the 2012 Giro d'Italia. Their first Tour de France took place in 2013. Bora-Argon only has one participation in La Vuelta, and Leopold Konig managed to be among the first 10 in the general classification at the time. They were now invited to compete at La Vuelta 2017.

Formerly known as Phonak, BMC grew slowly but steady with each passing season. The small U.S. team that competed only in national championships went international at did at amazing job when it sign up Philippe Gilbert, Greg Van Avermaet, Cadel Evans, or Samuel Sanchez. They competed in La Vuelta 2011 for the first time in the Tour of Spain and they only took a victory in 2012. Gilbert also managed a victory in 2013 in Tarragona. In 2015, BMC Racing Team won the Team Time Trial and the 14th stage in Alto Campoo. Their best performance? Sanchez Samuel placed 6th in La Vuelta 2014.

Astana is the team who won La Vuelta in 2017 and they will be back this year to conquer the general classification. Fabio Aru was their winner last year. The team had impressive performances at Giro d'Italia in 2014, where Fabio Aru won the first place. The magnificent developments of the Vuelta race in recent years allowed Astana Pro Team to have triumphant finishes, including in the Andorra stage.

The French from AG2R La Mondiale are a long-standing team of the pro peloton and they have conquered many summit finishes in their 3-week race participations. The team leader is Lavenu Vincent, who has an experience of more than twenty years in cycling. Domenico Pozzovivo and Nicolas Roche have obtained top 10 positions in the final classifications of La Vuelta in 2013 and 2010, respectively. Spaniard Luis Arrieta won the last second stage in the Tour of Spain in 2006.